Roosevelt Island commuters get back vital F train service after 7 months of repairs
ROOSEVELT ISLAND, New York (WABC) -- Thousands of people who live on Roosevelt Island are finally getting their main means of transportation back after enduring seven months of repairs to subway tracks and tunnels.
Crews are almost at the finish line along a five-mile stretch where the F train rolls through. The area just got a top-to-bottom makeover.
During those seven months of repairs, there was no service between Lexington-63rd Street and Queensbridge.
Folks on Roosevelt Island felt the pinch. Many take the F train and had to find alternate transportation.
"It was hard because it was a long wait, a lot of people crowding," said one commuter.
Now, the wait is over. Starting Monday at 5 a.m., the F train officially comes back online with all-new, modern equipment.
"New ties, new running rail, new third rail, we've poured a whole new concrete foundation," said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer.
Torres-Springer told Eyewitness News reporter Kemberly Richardson that workers essentially rebuilt 25,000 feet of track.
The new rails are longer: 400 feet compared to just 40 feet. That means less welding, and in turn, a smoother ride.
"We have certain parts of our system where we get so much deterioration that we have to go in and replace everything but by doing that we're going to make this equipment last for much longer," Torres-Springer said.
This is one part of a larger, three-part project. Work also focused on the E and J lines, a total of 37,000 feet of track, with a price tag $92 million.
"Fortunately we don't have a lot of other parts in the system where we have to do long work like this to replace track in the near future," Torres-Springer said.
Come Monday, while those who take the F train will get back on track, some folks have just about had it with the subway.
"I think it's horrible now, scary," said one commuter.
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